Unsinkable
by Whatsername Lambert
Summary: First class passenger and aspiring photographer Blaine Anderson meets Kurt Hummel, a beautiful immigrant boy from steerage, aboard the ill-fated Titanic. Neither can control their passionate feelings, despite strong objection from Blaine's strict parents. AU oneshot. Loosely based on the film.
1. Chapter 1

So this is what happens when I watch one of my favorite movies for the first time in 5 years. This is loosely based off of James Cameron's film and I even threw in a bit of dialogue from it, but I also tried to make it original. This is my first time writing something like this, so I hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>UNSINKABLE<p>

There were people everywhere. Some people here were waiting to get on the ship, some had simply come to the docks this morning to see the mammoth steamer depart. Seventeen-year-old Kurt Hummel and his father, Burt, were two people who fit into the former category. It had taken their small family almost a year to save up for tickets on the _Titanic_, but somehow they had managed. They knew there were better opportunities for them in America, and the money they had spent on the tickets would be well worth it.

"Dad!" Kurt reached back to grab ahold of Burt's wrist. "Where are you going? Steerage boards over here!"

"Slow down, would you?" Burt called after his son, limping to keep up. "You know I've got a bad leg. The ship's not going anywhere."

Kurt couldn't hear him over the white noise of the crowd, though, and kept his vice grip on his father's wrist until they reached the appropriate boarding walkway.

"Can we stop running around now and just walk for a little bit?" Burt huffed, attempting to catch his breath as he and Kurt took their places at the end of the line of people waiting to get on the ship.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You would have a much easier time getting around if you quit smoking. It's a disgusting habit. I can only imagine what it's doing to your lungs."

"Aw, come on, everyone smokes!" Burt countered. He gestured to a man with a cigarette who was a few people ahead of them in the line. "_He's _smoking."

"Just because you see random people smoking all the time doesn't make it okay." Kurt reached into his father's left pocket, where he kept his pack of cigarettes. "We're going to start a new life in America, remember?"

"Kurt, what are you...hey!" Burt stared in shock as Kurt dropped the pack of cigarettes over the gangway and into the ocean. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Starting a new life means taking better care of your health," Kurt said simply, gently nudging his father as a signal to move forward. "Now get on the boat. There's people waiting."

Burt rolled his eyes but all the same, took the last few steps off of the gangway and into the ship.

Once they were on board, Kurt turned to his father with an excited smile. "Come on, we have to go up to the main deck! The ship's going to be taking off soon, don't you want to wave goodbye?"

"Wave goodbye to who?" Burt asked gruffly. "The people down on the docks? We don't know any of them."

"Yes, yes, I know, but they're staying here and we aren't! We're going off to America!" Kurt was absolutely glowing with excitement. Burt hadn't seen his son this happy in so long, since before his mother passed away, but right now he wasn't feeling very good and all he wanted was to lie down. He knew his health hadn't been very good as of late, and hopefully this voyage would be an ample chance to relax and not have to worry about anything.

"You go on up there, kid. I'm gonna head to our cabin and lie down."

"Are you sure?" For the first time since they'd arrived at the docks, Kurt looked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. Just go. I know you're excited about this."

"Okay!" Kurt's face regained its smile as he turned towards the nearest staircase door.

"You know which cabin we're in, right?" Burt called after him as an afterthought.

"Room E27!" Kurt shouted over his shoulder, and Burt could hear the smile in his son's voice even as he ran off.

Kurt ran up the stairs and out onto the deck feeling more alive than ever before. Yes, he knew he and his father were only poor immigrants, the bottom of the barrel on this luxurious ship, but he couldn't help feeling a thrill of happiness. They were _finally _getting the chance to make a new life for themselves in a strange but exciting new land. Kurt couldn't wait until they arrived, but for now he was just happy to be here, on the deck of the most luxurious ship in the world surrounded by hundreds - thousands? - of people who shared his joy.

…

"Put that silly camera down, Blaine. Photography is not just a hobby for you anymore. It's turning into an obsession."

Blaine Anderson sighed and rolled his eyes at his mother's command, but didn't stop fiddling with his brand new folding pocket Kodak No.1. It had been a birthday present from his parents, he figured, so they of all people should understand his dream of becoming a famous photographer. Lately, though, it seemed that the more pictures he took, the less happy they became with them.

He glanced absentmindedly over his shoulder to notice that his mother's back was turned and his father was not in the room, probably out having a smoke. Blaine raised the camera and snapped another picture of the interior of their first-class stateroom.

"Blaine!" Mrs. Anderson turned around and eyed him disapprovingly, then shook his head. "I'm starting to wish we had never bought that camera for you. Photography is such a poor man's hobby."

"Can poor men afford cameras such as this one?" he murmured under his breath, more to himself than to his mother.

Mrs. Anderson handed one of the smaller suitcases to the maid with instructions to put it in the master bedroom, then came to sit beside Blaine on the couch.

"When we get back home, you will see that there are so many other hobbies for you to enjoy back in America besides _photography_." She scoffed the last word and glared at the camera in Blaine's hands. "A young man of your social standing should have no trouble finding an acceptable career that will only add to the substantial amount of wealth you will inherit after your father and I pass away. You don't need to waste your time taking pictures."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I haven't even been to college yet, Mother."

She wasn't listening. "You and Rachel will have a family of your own one day, Blaine. There is no harm in staying true to the family name and increasing the fortune that you will pass along to _your _children."

Ah, yes. Rachel. Blaine was trying his best not to think about her - the young woman who waited for him back home in America. The Andersons had deemed her an acceptable future wife for their only child, and Blaine knew his mother would not rest until he and Rachel were married. Try as he might, Blaine could find nothing appealing in her irritating personality. He had no idea what his parents saw in her, but he only knew that she was _not _the person with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

"Rachel has never expressed a problem with my interest in photography," he countered unenthusiastically.

Mrs. Anderson blinked and attempted to think of a response to Blaine's true statement.

He stood up from the couch, camera still in hand "I'm going up to the deck to get some pictures of the ship setting off. I'll be back."

And before his mother could say another word, he was out the door.

Once he got up to the crowded top deck, Blaine decided that the best place to get pictures would probably be near the railing. He pushed through the crowd as politely as possible, nudging through second class passengers and immigrants from steerage and his fellow travelers from first class. This would be the only time throughout the course of the voyage at which members of all classes would be permitted to be in the same place at the same time. Blaine found it wonderful that everybody was able to come together to celebrate the ship's departure.

He managed to push his way through to a spot near the railing on the side facing the dock. Blaine poised his camera and snapped a shot of the cheering crowd down on the dock as the ship prepared for its launch.

"Nice camera you've got there."

The voice, soft and buoyant, stood out to Blaine above the bland noise of the crowd. Immediately intrigued, he turned to see who had spoken to him.

As it turned out, the voice had belonged to the passenger standing next to him at the railing. He was a steerage boy, an immigrant from the looks of him. Barely taller than Blaine, but with a slight, lithe build. His skin was flawlessly clear and looked unbelievably soft. A tiny smile was on his full lips. And his _eyes_. Blaine couldn't help but be captivated by his eyes.

"Photography seems like an interesting hobby for someone traveling first class," the other boy added, nodding towards Blaine's nice clothing.

"Oh." Blaine finally remembered how to speak after a few seconds. "I don't know. I like taking pictures, I guess."

He felt the ship begin to move at that moment. A rousing ovation went up from both crowds - on the ship and down on the docks - and Blaine took a few more pictures of the crowded deck.

"You've got a nice camera for someone so young," the other boy observed. His voice was slightly high-pitched; Blaine had never heard anything like it. "You're not a professional, are you?"

"No." Blaine shook his head. "I got it as a present from my parents. They're starting to regret it, though. I guess they didn't think I'd be so invested in photography."

The other boy didn't say anything for a few seconds. He let out an excited shout as he waved to the people down on the docks, even blowing a few kisses to the masses gathered below. Without even thinking, Blaine raised his camera again and shot a picture of him from the side as he blew another kiss and waved.

Without missing a beat, the other boy turned towards him with a sly smile upon hearing the sound of the shutter.

"So invested in photography that you take pictures of people you've only known for thirty seconds?" he asked Blaine, still smiling the slightest bit.

Blaine felt himself blushing. For a third-class passenger, this boy sure was outspoken.

"I...I need to go," he murmured, turning away from the railing and heading back through the crowd towards the door that led inside.

He made his way back to his family's stateroom mindlessly, without even realizing how he'd gotten there. The entire time, his thoughts were on the boy he'd met by the railing. Blaine couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but something about the boy had struck him as beautiful.

…

"Father! You should have been there! There were so many people out to see the ship off, and now we're on our way! Isn't this exciting?"

Kurt burst into the third-class cabin in an excited rush, breathlessly letting the door fall shut behind him. For a moment, he had managed to push aside all thoughts of the handsome first class boy with the camera who had taken a picture of him on the deck. Once he was inside the room, he stopped to catch his breath and realized for the first time that he and his father were not alone. Two other people were in the cabin, a mother and son who looked to be around Kurt's age. Kurt assumed these were the people who would be bunking in the beds on the other half of the small cabin.

"Kurt, this is Carole Hudson and her son Finn," Burt told Kurt by means of introduction. "They're on their way to the States as well. We're sharing the cabin with them."

Kurt smiled politely and stepped forward to shake each of their hands. "Hello," he said politely. "I'm Kurt Hummel."

Carole and Finn each shook his hand and greeted him. Kurt managed to make polite conversation with them as he and his father finished putting their things away. Finn seemed nice enough, and it turns out he _was _seventeen, just like Kurt, so at least he had at least one potential friend on board. Still, Kurt found his mind wandering back to the boy with the camera. Try as he might, Kurt couldn't escape the thoughts of him that constantly bombarded his mind throughout the rest of the day.

…

Blaine's mother came into his bedroom the next morning bearing what she thought was good news.

"They've just finished sorting the mail," she told her son, handing him an envelope. "You've got a letter from Rachel."

Blaine resisted the urge to groan. He was hoping he wouldn't have to see or hear from his potential fiancee - who was absolutely smitten with him, by the way - until they arrived back in America. He took the letter from his mother and opened the envelope without much enthusiasm.

_My dearest Blaine_, the letter read,

_I could not resist the urge to send you this letter. Perhaps it will not reach you until the ship has departed, but all the same I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a safe voyage. Only a few weeks remain until we are able to see each other again, and I cannot even begin to explain how much joy this brings me._

_Our time apart has been much too long. After you return home to me, I will finally be able to feel complete for the first time since you left. I know you have been enjoying Europe with your parents, and in turn I have enjoyed reading each and every one of your letters, but I am still eagerly anticipating your return. I hope you have a safe and exciting voyage aboard the Titanic - how fantastic it must feel to be sailing aboard the unsinkable ship on her maiden voyage! For now, I send you all my love until your return._

_Bon voyage,_

_Rachel Berry_

Blaine folded the letter back up and set it on his bedside table as a random thought, one which had nothing to do with Rachel or her letter, entered his mind.

"Mother," he asked slowly, "how difficult would it be for one to go down to the steerage deck?"

Mrs. Anderson looked taken aback. "Why Blaine, why would you ever want to do such a thing?"

Blaine scrambled to think of a lie. He knew he couldn't tell his mother the truth about the feelings he may have had for this boy. She would never allow it. To think that her son might be romantically interested in another boy...Blaine knew his mother - and his father, for that matter - would hear nothing of it.

"I...I met a boy from steerage yesterday when I went to the deck as the ship launched," he said, attempting not to stammer. "He dropped something when he left, and I'd really like to give it back to him."

All right, so it was a terrible lie. First of all, _Blaine _had been the one to leave, not the other boy. Second, despite his best efforts, he had still stumbled his way through the lie in an effort to get the words out of his mouth.

"What did he lose that is so important that you _must _give it back to him?" Mrs. Anderson asked.

Thinking quickly, Blaine picked up his own pocket watch from the bedside table and held it up.

"This watch," he clarified.

Mrs. Anderson narrowed her eyes. "Blaine, that is _your _watch. You expect me to believe that some poor steerage boy lost something similar?"

Blaine tried not to let it show that he was panicking in his desperate attempt to come up with another lie.

"No, this is his," he said quickly. "I put mine in my safe, but his is very, very similar. It's probably the only thing of value his family owns, and I'd really like to get it back to him."

His mother sighed and rolled her eyes. "Can't you find some maid or whatever that works on the ship that can go return it to him? I don't want you down with those filthy people in third class."

"I'd really like to give it back to him myself," Blaine stuttered. "J-just to show him that not all of us in first class are pretentious snobs, you know?"

Mrs. Anderson didn't have time to respond, because at that moment her husband, Blaine's father, came into the bedroom, cigarette in hand.

"What are we all doing in here?" he exclaimed in his trademark boisterous voice. "Have either of you gone out to explore the ship yet? She's a beauty!"

"Your son wants to go down to third class to return some valuable watch to his new little steerage friend," Mrs. Anderson said disapprovingly to her husband.

Mr. Anderson looked at his son with a confused expression. "Blaine, what do you want to go down there for? You don't need to be hanging around with that lot. Me and some of the other guys've organized a poker game tonight after dinner in the smoke room. You should come. It's about time you learned how to play cards."

"Yes, Blaine, it would be nice for you to associate with men of your own class instead of walking around taking pictures all the time," his mother chimed in with the same disapproving tone in her voice. "For now, why don't you write back to Rachel? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you before we arrive in New York."

"Mother, the mail deadline is this afternoon. I don't know if I'll be able to get it done by then." Really, Blaine thought, he had no interest in writing to her.

"Nonsense. I'm sure you'll have no problem getting your feelings down on paper in time for the mail deadline." Mrs. Anderson turned to her husband. "You said we should explore the ship. Why don't you show your son the reading and writing room?"

…

Kurt picked up his fork and poked warily at the boiled potatoes that had been served to the third class passengers as part of their lunch.

"What do you suppose the food's like in America?" he asked Finn, who sat across from him at their table in the third class galley. The two had quickly become friends and despite Finn's awkwardness and total lack of coordination, Kurt had taken a liking to him.

Finn shrugged. "I dunno," he commented with a mouthful of potatoes. "Hope it's better than this junk, though." He smiled after he swallowed. "Kidding. This stuff's actually not that bad. Lot better than I thought it would be, that's for sure."

Kurt took a bite of his own potatoes and chewed thoughtfully. "You're right," he commented after swallowing. "This is pretty good."

"Makes me wonder what kind of stuff they got up in first class," Finn mused, attempting to spear some peas onto his fork.

Now that he mentioned first class, Kurt's mind instantly flashed back to the rich boy with the camera. He couldn't lie, he had been hoping for a chance to see him again.

"This is just a random thought," he said in a quieter voice than he had been using, "but do you think it would be too difficult for, say, one of us to sneak up to first class?"

Finn burst out laughing so loudly that the diners at the surrounding tables all turned to look at him. Kurt bit his lip and waited for Finn to stop his intense fit of laughter. He didn't think it had been _that _strange of a question...

"Are you kidding me? There's no way someone like us can get up there. They're real strict about keeping us down here, from what I understand. Why, were you thinking about trying to get up there or something?"

"I don't know," Kurt admitted with a shrug. "I just...thought it would be interesting to see, is all."

Now that he thought about it, it seemed like a stupid request. Even if he _did _get up to first class somehow, he would have no way of finding the boy with the camera. Kurt hadn't even gotten his name.

Finn took a few more bites of food and a few silent seconds passed before he spoke again.

"Say," he said, holding up one of the surprisingly soft biscuits, "you think they've got _these _in America?"

…

Blaine looked around at all the faces set in stone that surrounded the table, then glanced back at the flush in his own hand. The last thing he wanted to be doing right now was playing poker around a smoky table with his father and his drinking buddies, but he knew this was one of the only ways to get his mother off of his case. He had to fit in with the rest of the men in first class, and this was one of his best chances to do that.

"You're up, son." Mr. Anderson, who was sitting right next to Blaine, nudged him with his elbow.

"I know," Blaine said quietly before laying down his winning hand on the table. Having never played poker before, he glanced around to make sure he wasn't doing something wrong. "Am I...allowed to just do that, or...?"

A collective groan went up from the rest of the men seated around the table, which Blaine assumed meant he had just won. Mr. Anderson clapped his son on the back and reached out towards the center of the table to push Blaine's winnings towards him.

"You're a natural," he commented. "You sure you've never played this before?"

Blaine shrugged as he shoved his newly-won money unceremoniously into his pocket. "I don't know," he said quietly. "Just good at this, I guess."

…

Kurt hopped out of his top bunk the next morning to find that his father still wasn't up yet.

Huh. That was weird. Usually Burt was an early riser. Kurt knelt down next to his father's bunk and gently shook the man's shoulder.

"Dad?" he asked quietly. "Are you feeling all right?"

Burt opened his eyes and yawned loudly. "'m fine," he said. "Just...not feeling so great. Got some chest pains. I think my heart's acting up again."

"Oh, no." Out of habit, Kurt pressed his hand to his father's forehead. It felt a bit warmer than usual. "Do you want me to send for a nurse?"

"Nah, I'll be fine." Burt shook his head.

Kurt glanced over at the empty bunks on the other side of the room. "I think Carole and Finn went to go get breakfast. Would you like me to bring you back something?"

Burt threw the covers off of himself and crawled out of bed, taking some effort to slide his feet into his slippers. "You don't have to do that. I can walk."

He _could _walk, but Kurt could tell it was taking him some effort. He helped his father down the hall to the galley, then sat him down at a table and instructed him to stay there while Kurt went and got food for the both of them.

Kurt took two trays and got in place at the end of the line when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He turned around to see who it was and practically dropped both trays when he realized it was the boy with the camera.

Kurt took a moment to collect himself, then stepped out of line and pulled the other boy aside.

"You again," he said in a low voice. "What are you doing down here?"

Camera Boy smiled and extended his hand. "I felt bad because I took a picture of you without properly introducing myself," he said politely. "My name is Blaine Anderson."

Kurt shook Camera Boy's hand. Blaine. That was nice, Kurt thought. Now he could finally put a name to the face that he hadn't been able to get out of his head.

"Kurt Hummel," he said by means of introduction. "How did you get down here, anyway?"

Blaine shrugged. "First class is allowed anywhere on the ship. I got a few strange looks from people while I was on my way down here, but it was worth it."

Kurt raised one eyebrow. "It was worth getting strange looks in order to see me again?"

"I just thought I should properly introduce myself," Blaine said nonchalantly. "That's all. You were the first other passenger besides my parents to say a word to me on this ship. Everyone in first class is so self-righteous. They only care about themselves and their money. It was nice to think I'd made a new friend."

Kurt hesitated for a moment before stepping back in line with the trays for himself and his father. Blaine stood behind him, out of line but still in talking distance.

"Really." Kurt started piling food onto both of the trays. "I would think that the people in first class are a lot more polite than that."

Blaine shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. You are the nicest anyone has ever been to me on this ship, and I went out of my way to come and find you because I wanted to thank you for that."

Kurt stepped out of line again, this time with both trays piled high with food.

"That's very noble of you, Blaine Anderson," he said, lifting his chin just a little bit. "You're the only first class passenger who hasn't looked down their nose at me just because I am a poor immigrant who isn't fit to so much as make eye contact with any of you."

Blaine opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again and spoke.

"Come join me for dinner tonight," he insisted. "In the first class dining room. Eating there with my parents and their snobby friends is absolutely dreadful. It would be nice to have a friend there with me."

He gave Kurt a tiny, hopeful smile. Kurt didn't know how he could resist that, but there was one problem.

"I haven't got any nice clothes," he admitted, gesturing to the outfit he had on. "Just things like this."

"I'll bring you something," Blaine insisted. "What's your cabin number?"

"E27," Kurt told him. "You really don't have to do this, Blaine. I don't belong up there."

"I'll come to your cabin at five this evening," Blaine said. "I have a suit I don't wear too often that would probably fit you. You can wear that to dinner...that is, if you accept my invitation."

Kurt's heart was pounding rapidly in his chest. He couldn't believe his luck. Blaine Anderson, the handsome first class boy with the camera, had invited him to dinner. The ship hadn't even landed in America yet, and already things were looking up.

"Yes," he said enthusiastically, unable to contain his smile. "I accept."

"Great." Blaine returned his smile and Kurt could have sworn he shot him a tiny wink over his shoulder as he turned away. "I'll see you then."

Kurt stayed frozen in place for a second as he watched Blaine walk away, then walked on air as he returned to his table.

…

Blaine could feel his heart racing as he took the elevator back up to B Deck, where his family's stateroom was located. He half walked, half ran through the corridors until he reached the door, and once he was inside the stateroom he shut the door behind him and leaned up against it with a huge smile on his face.

He had done it. He had managed to sneak down to third class and see the beautiful boy - Kurt Hummel - again. Not only that, but he'd invited him to dinner on a whim, and to Blaine's delight, Kurt had accepted. Blaine wasn't quite sure what, exactly, it was about Kurt that captivated him so. Maybe it was those beautiful eyes - Blaine wasn't quite sure exactly what color they were, but he knew they were the prettiest color he'd ever seen. Maybe it was his smile and the way he always seemed to be happy, despite the fact that his family probably had next to nothing. Maybe it was just _him_. Either way, Blaine couldn't wait to see him again.

"Blaine? Did you manage to give that little steerage boy his watch back so you can _finally _stop obsessing over it?"

His mother had just walked into the room, her tone condescending as always. For once, Blaine was too happy to care. He didn't even have the heart to tell her that he _hadn't _been obsessing - he hadn't even spoken of it since yesterday morning, to be exact, and then again this morning when he'd told her he was going to do it.

Also, there was the tiny fact of the matter that the watch was in his pocket, considering Kurt owned and had lost no such thing. His mother didn't need to know that, he decided.

"His name is Kurt," Blaine told her, unable to stop smiling. "Kurt Hummel. And he's coming to dinner with us tonight."

Mrs. Anderson stopped in her tracks and looked at him in utter disbelief.

"You invited some dirty poor boy from third class to come dine with us, and you didn't even think of _asking _me first?"

"I...he...he's my friend," Blaine admitted. "He's the friendliest person I've met on board the ship. I'd love to get to know him better. He's such a sweet boy, Mother, I'm sure you'll like him."

Mrs. Anderson scoffed. "'Such a sweet boy'? Blaine, you sound like a lovesick schoolgirl."

"I already invited him, and I'm standing by that," Blaine countered defensively. "You know, maybe you could learn something from him."

His mother froze in place and stared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm going to the gymnasium," Blaine called back to her over his shoulder as he opened the door. He really had no patience for his mother's intolerance at the moment. "I'll get something for lunch, and I'll be back here closer to when it's time to start getting ready for dinner. Kurt _is _coming."

Blaine pulled the stateroom door shut behind him the second the last word left his mouth. He smirked as he headed down the hall, pleased with himself for the first time since he'd gotten on board the ship.

…

"Dad, I wish you could meet him. Well, maybe you will someday. Maybe even this evening when he brings me a suit to wear to dinner. But he's so handsome and such a gentleman, and tonight is going to be absolutely _perfect_!"

Kurt hadn't stopped gushing about Blaine since breakfast and now that he and Burt were back in their cabin, he showed no signs of letting up any time soon. He climbed up onto his top bunk and fell back onto the mattress with a happy sigh, grinning as he picked up a pillow and hugged it to his chest.

"He sounds like a real nice guy," Burt said sincerely from the desk chair in between the bunks where he now sat. "But are you sure he's...you know..."

Kurt knew what his father meant. After keeping it to himself for his entire life, Kurt had finally managed to work up the courage a few years ago to tell his dad that he was attracted to other boys. He had always felt like there was something wrong with him, that he was sick in the head because of it, but his father had given Kurt a hug and reassured him that he loved him just the same. This was not unheard of, Burt had said comfortingly, it was not abnormal, and Kurt was not the only person in the world who was like this. Some day, his father had said, Kurt would meet another boy who felt the same things for him. Kurt couldn't help but wonder if that boy was Blaine, and his heart rate immediately hastened at the possibility of that.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "I've never...asked him. Who knows, though. This could be my chance. I hear all the time about men and women who fall in love and have this romance right out of a fairy tale. I want that, too. Don't I deserve that?"

Burt was quiet for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was soft but firm.

"Nobody deserves that more than you do, Kurt."

Kurt sighed happily and squeezed his pillow even tighter. He stared up at the ceiling above his bunk and let Blaine take over his thoughts yet again.

…

At five on the dot, Blaine knocked on the door to Kurt's third-class stateroom. He immediately heard someone moving towards the door and a few moments later, it was pulled open by a breathless Kurt.

"You actually came," Kurt said with a smile of disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I?" Blaine held out the pile of folded clothes and handed it to Kurt. "These are for you. Hurry up and get changed, I'll wait for you out here."

"Okay," Kurt said as he took the clothes. "Thank you so much, I'll be right out."

Sure enough, Blaine had only been waiting out in the hallway for about five minutes when the door swung open again and Kurt emerged into the hallway, looking absolutely stunning in Blaine's suit and chattering away.

"I wanted you to meet my father, but he already went down to dinner in the third class dining hall," Kurt was saying. "He's been in bad health lately, so he's been eating a lot more. I'm sure you'll meet him another time, though."

Blaine's heart immediately went out to the beautiful boy. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely as they made their way to the elevators at the end of the hall. "Do you have a mother, or is it just the two of you traveling together?"

Kurt shook his head. "My mother passed away when I was eight. It's just me and my father now. We're on our way to America because we think there are many more opportunities there for us to have a better life."

"Ah." Blaine nodded. "I'm from America, but I've spent the past few months in Europe with my parents."

Kurt sighed as the elevator operator opened the doors for them and they stepped inside. "You're so lucky that both your parents are still alive."

"Yeah, that's the thing," Blaine said sadly. "I hate to sound ungrateful, but life with my parents is miserable. My mother is always getting on my case about photography and says I need to find a more suitable hobby. All my father does is smoke, drink and play cards. And both of them are adamant about me getting married to this girl back in the States, in whom I have no interest at all."

Kurt was silent for a few seconds as the elevator finished its ascent and the doors opened to empty them out onto the floor where the first class dining hall was located.

"Now I'm sorry," he said quietly. "That sounds awful."

Blaine shrugged. "I'm used to it," he said. "That's why I'm glad I met you. I finally have someone I can talk to about all this, even if it's just for the few days that this voyage will last."

"Oh, thank you," Kurt said to the man who opened the dining hall door for them, then turned back to Blaine. "I don't mind listening to you talk about it. Really. It's nice to know I have friends on this huge ship...that was the thing I was most worried about when we got on board, not being able to befriend anybody."

"Don't worry about that anymore." Blaine smiled and reached down to give Kurt's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be your friend." He glanced quickly around the room before his gaze finally landed on the table where his parents were sitting at the back of the room. "Oh, right back there."

He made his way back towards the table and Kurt followed. Neither of them, though, could forget the thrill of electricity that had raced through each of their bodies when their skin came in contact for the first time.

…

Kurt couldn't help that notice but Blaine's parents and all their first-class friends seemed to have plastered fake smiles onto their faces for the entire duration of the meal. Nobody except Blaine seemed genuinely happy to have him there, but that was enough. Kurt's heart started pounding faster each time Blaine smiled at him, and that was all the reassurance he needed to know that he belonged here.

At the end of the meal, Blaine stood up from the table. "I'm going to walk Kurt back down to his cabin," he announced, then turned to Kurt. "Unless you want to play poker with my father and his friends, which _I _don't even feel like doing."

Kurt smiled appreciatively. "No, thank you. I should get going, I don't want to feel like I've overstayed my welcome."

Blaine began to tell him that he had certainly not overstayed his welcome at the same time as Mrs. Anderson said, "Oh, Blaine, you don't need to do that. He can find his way back down to first class on his own."

"No, Mother, I think I'm going to walk him back," Blaine insisted. "Kurt, are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Kurt stood up from the table and bowed politely to Blaine's parents and the rest of the diners who were still seated at it. "Thank you very much for allowing me to dine with you. Have a wonderful evening."

Blaine turned to Kurt once they were a comfortable distance away from the table so that nobody would overhear.

"You were much more polite to them than any of them deserved," he commented in a low voice as they headed for the grand staircase.

"They were polite enough not to completely turn me away from the table, so I figured I should return the favor and be as much of a gentleman as possible," Kurt explained.

Blaine smiled at him. "Well, you were nothing but a perfect gentleman."

"I try." Kurt returned his smile, then suddenly got an idea.

"Stay down in third class with me," he insisted, grabbing Blaine's hand excitedly. "I mean, don't come back up here. Do you want to play boring poker with your father, or do you want to go to a _real _party?"

…

Blaine had never been around so many fun, boisterous people in his life before that moment. Down below the stuffy first class decks, the people in steerage certainly knew how to have a good time.

He was sitting at a table with Kurt, his father, and another boy around his age named Finn with whom Kurt and his father were sharing a berth - the latter two had just been introduced to him a few moments ago, and already they had showed Blaine much more genuine hospitality and friendship than anybody in first class had shown Kurt.

Kurt seemed to be right at home here. Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of the other boy, who was laughing and clapping along to the beat of the fast-paced folk song that was being played on a fiddle. Out of habit, Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out his camera. When he thought Kurt wasn't paying attention, he snapped a picture of him.

And Kurt, of course, noticed.

"You seem to like taking pictures of me," he commented with a smile, leaning in closer to be heard over the music.

"You're very photogenic," Blaine said honestly.

Kurt stood up and extended his hand out to Blaine. "Put the camera away and dance with me, will you?"

Blaine blinked and stared at Kurt's hand. "Kurt, but won't people..."

"Oh, who cares what people think? Come on!" And he pulled Blaine up from the table and they began to dance.

Blaine knew that if anybody in first class saw him dancing with another man, he would probably be disowned from his family immediately. Here, though, nobody seemed to mind. Maybe it was because the room was so crowded and nobody was paying particular attention to the two of them. Still, he found it amazing that he was able to just let go, forget about his snobby first class roots for a while, and just dance with Kurt.

After a while, though, the room began to clear out as people started to leave. It was getting late, and Kurt's father and Finn had already gone back to their cabin, so Blaine decided he should probably walk Kurt back as well.

Kurt turned to him with a smile once they were standing outside the door of room E27.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Blaine," he said sincerely. "Will I see you again?"

"God, I hope so." Blaine didn't even mind that he sounded desperately hopeful. Then, without thinking, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kurt, giving him a hug. He never wanted to let go; holding Kurt in his arms felt better than anything he would have imagined.

Kurt slipped out of his embrace after a few moments but kept smiling.

"I hope so, too," he said softly, turning to open the cabin door. "Good night, Blaine."

"Good night, Kurt," Blaine said quietly, but Kurt was already inside the room with the door closed.

…

To Blaine's immense relief, both of his parents were asleep when he returned to the stateroom that night. The next morning, though, he knew he should have expected his mother's inevitable wrath.

"Would you like to explain to me where you were last night?" she asked nonsensically as they prepared to go to breakfast.

Blaine decided there was no reason to be dishonest. "I was with Kurt."

Mrs. Anderson sighed. "Blaine, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't approve of you spending time with that boy. This time you've gone too far. I expected you to come right back upstairs, but you decided to stay down in steerage for whatever reason...I was up so late waiting for you that I eventually decided it was no use staying up any longer, and I went to bed."

"For your information, Mother, he invited me to a party down in third class," Blaine explained with exasperation. "The people there are much more welcoming than your so-called friends here in first class."

"You're not to see that boy again," was all his mother said in response. "Do you understand me? Blaine, I forbid it."

"Being with Kurt makes me happy, Mother. If you are content to take away your own son's happiness, that is fine by me."

"I simply don't understand your infatuation with this boy," Mrs. Anderson said absentmindedly. "If only you paid so much attention to Rachel, who will be your wife, as you do to this _Kurt_." She spat out his name as if it were an expletive.

Blaine looked at her with utter disgust for a few moments before saying anything.

"Maybe I love him," he said quietly. "Maybe it's Kurt that I love, and not Rachel."

"_What_?" Mrs. Anderson practically shrieked.

"You heard me." Blaine's voice was quiet but firm.

"But...but...you cannot possibly be in love with another _boy_," she said in disbelief. "It is immoral."

"I don't understand how love could be immoral," Blaine countered quietly.

"It's just not _right_." Blaine wasn't sure if his mother truly hadn't heard him, or if she was simply ignoring him. She turned to him with nothing but absolute aversion for a few seconds, then shook her head and spoke again. "No. It is not right at all, do you understand me? What you feel for that boy is not _love_, do you understand me? You're sick, Blaine, you're sick!"

Blaine let more silence hang in the air after her near-screaming fit, not daring to let it show in his eyes how much her words hurt.

"I know how I feel about him," he said quietly after some time. "Being sick doesn't feel like this. Being sick feels terrible. This...this feeling that I have for Kurt is nothing but the purest, most true love."

But his mother would hear none of it. She began to make her way angrily towards the door.

"I am going to breakfast," she informed him. "You will be staying here for the rest of the day. I'm locking the doors so I know you won't be able to sneak down to steerage again. Maybe the solitude will force you to come to terms with your mental illness."

Blaine stared at her in disbelief. "But how am I to eat? You can't possibly make me go hungry for the entire day."

"I will have the maids bring you something to eat," she said. "But you are _not _leaving this stateroom, do you understand me?"

She didn't even wait to hear his response. Before he could get a word out of his mouth, she had left the room and pulled the door shut behind her. Blaine could hear the lock clicking into place as she locked the door, then he answered her question to himself.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, now do I?"

…

Kurt spent the day worried about two things. One, Blaine never came down to see him, and he couldn't say that didn't hurt a little bit. He had spent all afternoon so excited to see Blaine, and when he never came down to steerage to see Kurt, it put a horrible feeling in the pit of Kurt's stomach. He hoped everything was all right.

On the other hand, there was Kurt's own father. Kurt could tell that his health had been getting worse and worse over the past few days since they'd gotten on the ship. He'd barely been able to coax his father out of bed that morning to go down to breakfast.

"My heart's acting up again," Burt had informed him weakly, one hand over his chest. "I'll just...stay here and lie down. You're young and healthy, kid. Go eat."

Kurt had complied with his father's wishes, but couldn't shake the thought from his mind all day that he might not make it through the entire voyage. Kurt had never really been one to follow any organized religion, but he found himself spending the majority of the afternoon clutching the Rosary he had slipped into his pocket and wishing he knew how to pray it. Maybe if he had the intention to pray, he thought, God would still intercede for his ailing father. Surely the Lord wouldn't refuse to listen to Kurt just because he didn't know how to pray, would He?

It was a long, slow day without seeing Blaine. Kurt thought that maybe just spending a few minutes with his friend would be enough to make him forget about his troubles temporarily, but unfortunately that didn't happen. He hoped that maybe tomorrow Blaine would come down to see him.

Neither of them knew that tomorrow would be the last day of complete normality aboard the R.M.S. _Titanic_.

…

Mrs. Anderson came into her son's room the next morning with a cheerful smile that Blaine immediately thought seemed fake.

"Good morning," she said, her voice dripping with false sincerity. "I trust that today I will be able to let you out of the room without having to worry about you sneaking away to see that steerage boy?"

Blaine could play this game, too. He put a smile on his face that was just as fake as hers and lied through his teeth.

"Yes, Mother," he said, praying she couldn't see through his lie. "If you'll let me, I'd like to spend the day taking pictures around the ship. I know you disapprove of my interest in photography, but I think that indulging in my favorite hobby will be a good way to get over my supposed _illness_."

Blaine was far from a perfect liar. He couldn't help but sneer that last word just a little bit.

"That's fine, I guess," she said airily. "I'd much rather you take pictures than spend time with that boy who intensifies this disease in you."

She went on to inform him about her plans for the day, most of which involved lounging on the deck and doing nothing with the other first-class women. Mrs. Anderson called it "socializing." Blaine called it "a waste of time."

But now he wasn't listening to her. Instead, he was thinking about the last thing she'd said.

_Taking pictures...that boy..._

She hadn't said anything that implied that he shouldn't take pictures _of _that boy.

He wondered if Kurt would object to posing for a photo shoot.

…

By late afternoon (early evening?), Kurt had seen hide nor hair of Blaine and he was starting to get upset. He hadn't seen him in about a day and a half, and that worried him. Spending time with Blaine would take his mind off of his father's illness, which seemed to be worsening over the past few hours and for which Kurt could do nothing to help him.

He had been wandering the third class decks for a few hours now, walking aimlessly in circles. Occasionally he would stop near the railing and stare out over the open ocean, only to resume walking a few minutes later. His heart was pounding relentlessly with worry, and each beat resonated one of the two names in his head.

_Dad. Blaine. Dad. Blaine. Dad. Blaine. Dad..._

"Kurt."

The familiar voice froze Kurt in place exactly where he was standing. He turned around and found himself looking right at the face he'd missed so much over the past day and a half.

_Blaine_.

"What are you doing down here," he whispered, making it more of a statement than a question.

"I knew I had to see you again," Blaine explained, his voice thick with emotion. "And I wanted to apologize for not coming down to see you yesterday. My mother locked me in my stateroom because she thinks I'm sick."

"Why would she do such a thing?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

He looked at Blaine and knew right away that the other boy was struggling to put his thoughts into words. It was a few seconds before Blaine could muster a response.

"Kurt, I know this sounds absurd," he said, his voice low as he looked at Kurt shyly out of the corner of his eyes, "but I think I may be in love with you."

Kurt felt his heart come to an abrupt stop. His breathing became short in the seconds that passed after Blaine revealed his feelings to him. He couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. Blaine's words froze him in place.

"Why would that be absurd?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Because you are a boy," Blaine explained slowly, "and my mother said it's not right for me to feel this way about you, but I can't help it."

Kurt inhaled a deep breath, then stepped closer to Blaine.

"Then why do you listen to what she says? _You _know how _you _feel. She doesn't."

Blaine sighed. "I don't know, Kurt. I just know that I can't ignore this feeling any longer. But my family has other plans for me, plans that involve me marrying a girl I don't even love, and besides, I don't even know how _you _feel..."

"You want to know how I feel?" Kurt asked, and backed Blaine up until he was against the railing.

"Yes," Blaine breathed. Their faces were dangerously close.

"Blaine, you're no picnic, all right?" Kurt said in a low voice. "You're a spoiled little brat, even, but under that, you're the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful boy...man...that I've ever known..."

Blaine struggled to catch a breath. "Kurt, you're beautiful." He wasn't lying. Now that Kurt's face was just inches away from his own, it was impossible to deny the other boy's gorgeousness.

"Shut up, will you?" Kurt insisted. "You've got to stop worrying about what other people think. They've got you trapped, Blaine. And you're gonna die if you don't break free. Maybe not right away because you're strong but...sooner or later that fire that I love about you, Blaine...that fire's gonna burn out.

Blaine shivered when he realized he could feel Kurt's warm breath on his face. He looked into Kurt's eyes, which were dark with intensity.

"It's not up to you to save me, Kurt," he whispered.

"You're right," Kurt said softly, letting his gaze flicker away from Blaine's for just a moment. "Only you can do that."

Blaine couldn't handle it anymore. He was so overcome with emotion and the love he felt for this boy that he couldn't stop himself from placing both hands on either side of Kurt's face and gently pulling him in for a kiss.

Kurt trembled a little bit at the sudden sensation of feeling Blaine's lips on his own, but soon enough he regained control of his thoughts and melted into Blaine as he kissed him back. He clutched the ship's railing so tightly that his knuckles turned bone pale, his other arm was wrapped around Blaine's waist, holding him closer. He'd never kissed another boy before, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was the most perfect moment of his life.

When they pulled away some time later, both were smiling as they attempted to catch their breath.

"That felt good," Blaine said through heavy breaths. "I've been wanting to do that for so long."

"Yeah," Kurt panted, unable to keep the ridiculously huge smile off his face. "Let's...again..."

Blaine eagerly brought Kurt closer for another kiss. This time, he hesitantly traced the curve of Kurt's full bottom lip with his tongue; it wasn't long before Kurt opened his mouth to allow Blaine access. They kissed slowly and passionately as Kurt let Blaine explore his mouth, and they only broke away when it was absolutely necessary that they breathe.

"So what did you _really _come down here for?" Kurt asked with a smile after they broke the kiss. "You went off on a bit of a tangent when you started to explain the reasons why your mother locked you in your room."

"Ah, yes." Blaine pulled his camera out of his pocket. "I'm in the mood to do a photo shoot, and I was wondering if the most beautiful boy on the ship would like to model for me."

Kurt's face lit up. "Oh, yes! Blaine, I would love to!"

He had such an excited smile on his face that Blaine couldn't help taking a candid picture of Kurt as he expressed his enthusiasm.

Kurt smirked. "I thought photo shoots involved _posed _pictures."

"They do," Blaine said, blushing. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Where would you like to pose?"

Kurt looked around the deck for a little bit, then his face brightened as he got an idea. He grabbed a hold of Blaine's hand and began leading him in a rush towards the front of the ship.

"Kurt!" Blaine shouted after him, laughing with the utter exhilaration of it all. "Where are we going?"

But Kurt didn't stop running until they reached the spot where the railing came to a point at the bow of the ship. He turned around so his back was to the ocean, threw his head back, and lifted his arms up and out over his head. Blaine had never seen anyone or anything that looked more alive and full of vivacity and love for life than Kurt did in that moment.

Kurt smiled as he kept his face tilted up to the sky, which was now turning orange with the setting sun. Blaine snapped picture after picture of him. After he got a few shots like that, Kurt leaned back against the railing and brought his face down so he was looking straight at the camera. He smiled just the tiniest bit, not showing any teeth.

"Beautiful," Blaine commented as he took a few pictures of Kurt in this position. "Absolutely beautiful."

Kurt smiled and turned around so he was facing out over the open ocean. He threw his arms out to the side and tilted his head back again.

"I'm flying, Blaine!" he shouted, giggling again.

Blaine moved over to the side so he could get a few pictures of Kurt like this. He couldn't resist snapping picture after picture now that he had such a beautiful subject.

They took a few more pictures out on the deck before Blaine decided to do the unthinkable. He invited Kurt back into his stateroom to pose for a few pictures indoors. It was getting dark, and the lighting wasn't the best out on the deck...

"Won't your parents object to me being here?" Kurt asked warily as he stepped into the massive sitting room. Blaine had the distinct pleasure of watching Kurt's gorgeous eyes grow wide as he drank it all in.

"My parents are probably still socializing, just as they always do after dinner," Blaine explained. "They won't be back for a while. Why don't you go over on the bed...I mean, the couch?"

Kurt reclined on the sofa in the middle of the room, giving wide-eyed, innocent looks to the camera the whole time. Blaine snapped some shots of him like this, and some more of him in various poses around the rest of the sitting room. He knew his film reel was probably getting full, but quite frankly he didn't care.

He wasn't quite sure how they ended up in Blaine's bedroom, but before they knew it Kurt was sitting on Blaine's bed and giving the camera a seductive come-hither look as Blaine took more pictures of him. After getting a few of these, Blaine set his camera down onto the bedside table and sat down on the bed next to Kurt.

"I can't wait to develop these," he murmured quietly with a smile. "I already know they're going to be the most beautiful shots I've ever taken."

Kurt gave him a flirtatious smile of his own. "You talk too much," he said, and moved in closer so he could kiss Blaine yet again.

One thing led to another as they began to escalate into making out, and before either of them knew it they were lying in a tangled mess of limbs on the bed with both of their shirts off. Blaine's mouth was attached to Kurt's neck as he sucked and gently bit at the soft, pale skin there. Kurt tipped his head back to allow Blaine room. His fingers tangled around locks of the other boy's curly hair as he gasped for breath.

Blaine pulled away and sat up to look Kurt in the eyes.

"Are you nervous?" he asked in a low, breathy whisper.

"No." Kurt's voice was quiet but confident. "Put your hands on me, Blaine."

Blaine knew there was no way on earth he could resist that voice making such a request. He brought both hands to Kurt's chest and rubbed gently up and down, feeling the obvious but not overstated muscle structure of the other boy's body beneath his hands. Kurt trembled beneath his touch but made no move to pull away. After a few minutes of reveling in how beautiful it felt to touch him, Blaine tentatively lowered his mouth and pressed a lingering kiss to Kurt's breastbone.

"Blaine...," Kurt said weakly, wanting to beg for more but finding himself incoherent.

Blaine could live on the way Kurt said his name. He moved his mouth over to one of Kurt's nipples and let his tongue lap at the sensitive bud as he sucked it to hardness.

He did the same to the other nipple, then continued kissing his way down Kurt's chest. He let his tongue trace along the skin right above the waistband of Kurt's pants and looked up into his beautiful eyes, making his request wordlessly.

Kurt nodded, and Blaine moved his hands up to slip his pants off of his legs.

Before he could do this, though, there was a thump that shook everything in the room.

Kurt gasped a little bit. "Did you feel that?"

It was a stupid question. Obviously he had.

"Yeah, that was strange," Blaine murmured. "It almost felt like we hit something."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Kurt said with a reassuring smile. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, you have some unfinished business that you need to take care of."

…

After experiencing the most erotic moment of their lives up to that point, Kurt and Blaine lay in each other's arms in the silent room. The air was thick with sweat and the smell of sex; both of them were still trying to catch their breath even after all had been said and done.

"That was...," Blaine couldn't even think of a word to describe how perfect it had been.

"Perfect?" Kurt offered helpfully, snuggling against Blaine's chest. "But that seems like such an understatement." He inhaled the sweet scent of his lover, then exhaled with a happy sigh. "I don't want to be anywhere but in your arms for the rest of my life."

Blaine opened his mouth to say something, but no words could come out before the door flung open and his world was changed forever.

"Blaine!" It was his mother, and she did not look happy as she stared in horror at the two naked boys in the bed together. "What is the meaning of this?"

Blaine simply grinned at her, not seeming worried at all. "Apparently I'm still _sick_, Mother."

"Oh...," she began breathing heavily and pressed a hand to her forehead. "I come in here to tell you that the ship is _sinking_, and _this _is what I find!"

Blaine immediately sat up. "_What_?"

"We hit an iceberg, you fool, didn't you hear that bump earlier? Don't you notice how everything is tilted?"

Blaine looked around the room and noticed for the first time that everything appeared to be at a slanted angle.

"They're ordering everyone up to the main deck to get on the lifeboats," she said, her voice saturated with tears as she turned to leave the room. "And consider yourself disowned, Blaine Anderson!"

The bedroom door fell shut with a bang, and Blaine and Kurt were left alone. They exchanged a look before jumping out of bed and starting to pull on whatever articles of clothing they could get their hands on. At the last minute before they headed out the door, Blaine grabbed his camera.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," Blaine said to Kurt once they were fully dressed and heading down the hall towards the top deck. "But right now, I just want to make sure you're safe."

The people in the hallway were in a panic. Blaine kept a hold of Kurt's hand as they made their way through the crowd and finally out onto the deck, where people were clamoring to get on the life boats.

"Excuse me." Blaine pulled aside one of the ship's crew members who had been racing across the deck in a panic. "How many life boats are left?"

"Not many, sir. And they're giving preference to the women and children. You might not have a chance of getting on one."

"Thank you." Blaine pulled Kurt towards where the crowd was thickest, assuming that this was where the most boats were. The deck was slanting now as the ship tilted upwards into the water, and he found it hard to get his footing. Both of them slipped and stumbled a few times.

Suddenly Kurt froze. His face was pale with shock when Blaine turned to look at him.

"Kurt what are you doing? We have to-"

"My father,"Kurt said in a broken whisper. "He's still down in the cabin. He must be, he's too weak to get out of bed. I have to go back to him."

"No!" Blaine grabbed Kurt's wrist and pulled him back towards the boats. "Kurt, he's not going to make it. You are. You are going to live."

They were at the front of the crowd now, and the crew members who were loading the boats were pulling the best dressed passengers - first class, of course - on board.

"No, I'm not," Kurt said gravely. "I am not first class, I am not a woman, I am not a child. There's no way I'll be allowed onto one of these boats. I need to go down and be with my father. I am all he has in the world. If he dies tonight, so do I."

"Sir, are you going to get on the boat?" It took Blaine a few seconds to realize that the one of crew members was talking to him.

"Kurt, I don't want to lose you when we've just found each other," he whispered, looking into Kurt's beautiful eyes. "I can't..."

"Listen to me." Kurt took both of Blaine's hands in his own. "You are going to go on to do great things, Blaine Anderson. You will go back to America and become a famous photographer. You will die an old, old man and when you do, I'll be on the other side waiting for you. You are going to _live_, Blaine, do you understand me? You. Are going. To _live_."

He spoke with such emotional intensity that tears were in his eyes by the time he finished. As much as it killed him on the inside to have to say goodbye to Kurt like this - goodbye for forever - he realized that if he truly loved Kurt, he would live, if only for him.

"That's very noble of you, Kurt Hummel." He stole Kurt's line from that first morning he'd sneaked down to the third class dining hall, but this time Blaine spoke it in a tear-choked whisper.

"I love you," was all Kurt said before pulling him in for one more kiss. Blaine kissed him back, trying to memorize every rise and fall of those perfect, soft lips.

"Sir!" the crew member loading the boats barked. "If you don't get in the damn boat right now, we will be lowering it without you!"

Blaine broke away hastily from the kiss. "I love you, Kurt Hummel. I will love you until the day I die," he swore to him in a low voice.

Kurt pushed him into the boat. "Go. Live."

The second Blaine was in the boat, it began its descent into the icy sea below. Kurt stared over the edge at Blaine, and Blaine craned his neck so he could stare back. He didn't look away until the tiny boat was down floating on the water and he couldn't see anything on the big ship anymore.

After Blaine's life boat floated away, Kurt pushed through the crowd so he could make his way down to steerage. The flooding down on the lower decks was getting pretty bad, and it took some effort, but he managed to burst through the door of Room E27 in a manic rush.

"Dad," he gasped, wading over to his father's bedside. When he knelt beside it, he realized that the water was already up to his waist. "The ship's sinking, Dad."

Burt didn't move. He appeared to be asleep. Kurt could barely see the rising of his chest with the labored breaths he must have been taking.

"I'm sorry we never made it to America," he whispered through his tears, grabbing his father's unresponsive hand. "But maybe this was destiny for us."

He kept a vice grip on Burt's hand as the ship continued to tilt and the icy water rose higher and higher. Kurt knew it wouldn't be much longer. His entire body trembled as he gripped his father's hand even tighter and let the ocean consume him.

…

It was silent out in the middle of the ocean once the life boat had been paddled a sufficient distance away from the sinking ship.

Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was practically vertical now. What killed him the most, though, was knowing that _Kurt _was still on that ship. Was he still alive, or had he joined the lost souls who had already drowned tonight?

An earsplitting crack rang through the quiet Atlantic night, and the rest of the people in Blaine's life boat all gasped in near unison as they watched the ship break in half. Blaine felt something grab at the place where his heart used to be before it had shattered into a million pieces.

"Kurt," he whispered, and he didn't take his eyes away from either half of the ship until they had both sunk down into the icy waters of the ocean. He felt a single tear fall down his cheek as the life boat sailed off into the starry night.

* * *

><p><em>April 15, 1962<em>

Fifty years. Half a century later, and Blaine has finally brought himself to do this. He has listened to Kurt and gone on to become a renowned photographer once he returned to America. His photos appear in every major magazine and newspaper all across the nation. But there is one reel of film which still remains undeveloped.

Blaine goes into the darkroom at his home studio with the fifty-year-old reel in his hands. He can't believe he's doing this, but he knows it's time. These photos have never seen the light of day, and he figures it's about time to re-live the memories of that ill-fated voyage.

He takes special care not to look at the images as they develop in the hazy red light of the room. When they are all finished developing, he stacks up the prints and exits the darkroom, taking them out into normal lighting so he can flip through them.

The first few in the stack are just some shots of the ship at the Southampton docks that morning. Blaine doesn't care so much about those. He flips them aside, not really looking at them until he comes to the first picture he took of Kurt.

Finally, after all these years, there he is again.

This is the photo Blaine took as Kurt blew kisses and waved to the crowds gathered below on the docks as the ship departed. Fifty years later, and Blaine can still feel his heart melting when he looks at the Kurt's beautiful smile.

He flips through the rest of the stack, taking only short glances at the pictures he took of the ship's interior and things such as that. Finally he comes to the pictures of the semi-impromptu photo shoot that had taken place the evening the ship hit the iceberg. As he looks at these, Blaine can feel something tugging at his heart.

Kurt was still beautiful all these years later. Granted, there were many aspects of his beauty that these pictures did not - _could _not - show. The indeterminable color of his eyes, the way his lips tasted, the softness of his skin, the way it felt for Blaine to hold him in his arms. Still, there was no denying that he was the most perfect human being on whom Blaine has ever laid eyes.

Blaine feels content. He has lived his life exactly as Kurt told him to in the moments before they said goodbye forever. But he can't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes as he looks at these pictures and sees Kurt's face for the first time in fifty years.

Someday, he knows, he will pass away of old age, just as Kurt said. He remembers the words Kurt spoke so emotionally that night: _I'll be on the other side waiting for you_.

But Blaine knows he still has a couple more decades

left in him before that happens. Until then, he will keep taking pictures and living his life as Kurt would have wanted him to.

And when his time came, Blaine knew he was going to see Kurt again. He imagined what that moment would be like. Blaine liked to picture the gateway to Heaven as being like the majestic Grand Staircase on the _Titanic_. He would ascend the stairs, and all those souls who perished that night would be lining the way, smiling at him.

Then, Blaine imagined, he would climb the stairs. Right at the top, in front of the clock, Kurt would be waiting for him with that perfect smile that Blaine adored. He would reach out for Blaine's hand, and Blaine would take it as he stepped up next to the only boy he'd ever truly loved.

Then he would take Kurt in his arms and look into his beautiful eyes for a moment before their lips met. When they broke away, Blaine would smile at Kurt and finally manage to verbalize his joy at seeing him again.

_Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever..._

* * *

><p>Yeah, so that ending was kind of right out of the movie. Ah well.<br>Reviews would be amazing, por favor :)__


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't know if anyone still follows this, but Jessie (bitchboughtmycookie) prompted me to write the missing love scene from this fic, so I thought I would. :D**

PLEASE NOBODY YELL AT ME FOR THE LACK OF CONDOMS/LUBE. This DOES take place in 1912, remember that.

One thing led to another as they began to escalate into making out, and before either of them knew it they were lying in a tangled mess of limbs on the bed with both of their shirts off. Blaine's mouth was attached to Kurt's neck as he sucked and gently bit at the soft, pale skin there. Kurt tipped his head back to allow Blaine room. His fingers tangled around locks of the other boy's curly hair as he gasped for breath.

_Blaine pulled away and sat up to look Kurt in the eyes._

_"Are you nervous?" he asked in a low, breathy whisper._

_"No." Kurt's voice was quiet but confident. "Put your hands on me, Blaine."_

_Blaine knew there was no way on earth he could resist that voice making such a request. He brought both hands to Kurt's chest and rubbed gently up and down, feeling the obvious but not overstated muscle structure of the other boy's body beneath his hands. Kurt trembled beneath his touch but made no move to pull away. After a few minutes of reveling in how beautiful it felt to touch him, Blaine tentatively lowered his mouth and pressed a lingering kiss to Kurt's breastbone._

_"Blaine...," Kurt said weakly, wanting to beg for more but finding himself incoherent._

_Blaine could live on the way Kurt said his name. He moved his mouth over to one of Kurt's nipples and let his tongue lap at the sensitive bud as he sucked it to hardness._

_He did the same to the other nipple, then continued kissing his way down Kurt's chest. He let his tongue trace along the skin right above the waistband of Kurt's pants and looked up into his beautiful eyes, making his request wordlessly._

_Kurt nodded, and Blaine moved his hands up to slip his pants off of his legs._

_Before he could do this, though, there was a thump that shook everything in the room._

_Kurt gasped a little bit. "Did you feel that?"_

_It was a stupid question. Obviously he had._

_"Yeah, that was strange," Blaine murmured. "It almost felt like we hit something."_

_"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Kurt said with a reassuring smile. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, you have some unfinished business that you need to take care of."_

Blaine smiled against Kurt's skin and began working the button on his pants to get them out of the way once and for all. He picked his head up and looked into Kurt's eyes as he did away with the bottom half of his clothing, pleased when Kurt held his gaze. In that moment, Blaine knew that Kurt wanted nothing more than to be with him and express his love in the most intimate way possible. And that was perfectly fine with Blaine.

Kurt didn't seem embarrassed at all, despite the fact that he was completely naked in front of Blaine. His eyes were dark with lust as he watched Blaine, who sat back a little bit to drink him in all at once.

Despite his family's affluence, Blaine couldn't help but feel that this was the luckiest he'd ever been in his life. Kurt lay spread before him like some kind of glorious feast - his pale skin radiant, his musculature beneath it obvious but not overstated. He looked more like an artistic masterpiece than any human being had the right to. Actually, Blaine thought, forget that – Kurt _was _a masterpiece in his own right. Blaine would give every penny he owned if it would guarantee that he got to keep Kurt for the remainder of his life.

He looked so magnificent that Blaine forgot how to breathe for a second. Kurt noticed and giggled a little bit.

"Would you object to taking a picture of me like this?" he asked Blaine with a suggestive little grin playing his lips. "I know it would be awfully risqué, but you seem to like what you see. I thought it might be something nice to add to your private photography collection."

He winked. Blaine's heart stopped for a second before he leaned over toward the nightstand. He groped around blindly for a second, not once taking his eyes off of Kurt, before he finally grabbed his camera.

He wondered for a moment if he should maybe pose Kurt in such a way that his rather large erection wouldn't be exposed, then realized that it didn't matter if this picture was full-out pornographic. He would make sure to develop this roll of film by himself to ensure that he was the only person who ever saw these pictures. Besides, he thought, artists had been painting and sculpting nudes for centuries now. The way he saw it, photography was nothing more than a new form of art. What was wrong with that?

"All right." His voice came out lower than normal, for whatever reason. "Lift your arms above your head a little more."

Kurt positioned himself as he was told. "Like this?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. Just like that," he told him. "I want to see all of you."

"There would really be no point in asking you to take this picture if you _couldn't _see all of me," Kurt said innocently. "Do you want me to smile?"

"No," Blaine said. "Eyes wide, lips parted just a little bit…oh, _gorgeous_. Stay just like that for me."

He bit his lip and kept his eyes locked on Kurt's for just a moment longer before he brought the camera to his face and snapped the picture.

"Perfect," he whispered.

The second he lowered the camera, Kurt smiled. "You're blushing."

Blaine opened his mouth to respond, but he could only remember how to say one word. "Kurt…"

Kurt's smile grew even wider. He sat up and took the camera out of Blaine's hands, then turned and set it on the bedside table again.

"You'll have to show me that sometime," he said, his voice completely casual and blasé as if he wasn't completely naked in front of another person. "After you get it developed. I'd love to see what caused you to get so adorably flustered."

"Anything for you," Blaine swore to him. He took Kurt in his arms and looked into those indescribably stunning eyes as he stroked the soft skin of his cheek. Neither of them said a word for a long time.

"When the ship docks," Blaine continued after a long silence, "I'm getting off with you."

Kurt smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "This is crazy."

Blaine clutched him closer, wanting nothing more than to feel Kurt's heart beating against his own chest. "I know. That's why I trust it."

Kurt shifted in Blaine's arms and lay back down, pulling Blaine with him as their lips fell into place with a kiss. Blaine let his hands wander all over Kurt's body, in complete awe of the utter perfection of his form. Kurt's hands were suddenly busy as well, making a valiant effort to remove Blaine's clothing without breaking apart from the kiss. It took some time, but finally he managed to get every last bit of expensive fabric out of the way. For Blaine, though, it happened so quickly that it didn't really even register in his mind that he was actually naked in front of Kurt. It felt right, like this was the way they were supposed to be.

He knew exactly where this was going, and he didn't even give a damn. He wanted – no, he _needed _to be with Kurt. He wouldn't be satisfied until the two of them were one. There was no telling how often they'd get to be together like this once the ship docked in America – even if they kept in touch, as Blaine had every intention of doing, he knew their relationship would have to be kept in extreme privacy to avoid any kind of scrutiny from disapproving people such as his parents. They might not be able to experience anything like this again for a long time.

Well, Blaine decided, he was going to make the most of it. He was going to show Kurt just how much he loved and adored him, before it was too late.

Blaine broke away from Kurt's lips and began lavishing his entire body with little kisses. He kissed down the pale column of his neck and onto his chest. Kurt's breath hitched and a soft little sigh escaped his lips. Blaine kissed further down onto his stomach, across his waist and hips; he placed a line of kisses up Kurt's throbbing erection and even paused to suck the entire length into his mouth for a moment. Kurt cried out, thrusting himself further into Blaine's mouth, and Blaine gladly took him. He sucked harder, hollowing his cheeks, experimenting with his tongue to see what got Kurt going. In the present moment, it seemed that just about anything would do.

Kurt was starting to tremble and as much as Blaine loved that, he didn't want him to hit his climax just yet. He slid his mouth off of Kurt and kept on kissing down his long, long legs. Blaine couldn't wait to be wrapped up in those legs.

He placed a kiss on each of Kurt's feet before starting to work his way back up, making sure he reached every possible inch of Kurt's skin with his lips. By the time he'd kissed up to Kurt's neck, Kurt was the most undone Blaine had ever seen him, whimpering, "Please, Blaine, _please_," with his eyes closed as he reveled in the moment.

Blaine paused, hovering directly over Kurt's lips. "Please what?" he whispered. "Tell me what you want, love."

He ran his hand down Kurt's chest and rubbed his thumb in circles on Kurt's defined hipbone. Kurt opened his eyes about halfway; he looked so beautifully lovedrunk that Blaine nearly got tears in his eyes.

"Make love to me, Blaine," he whispered. His voice was hardly audible and his lips brushed against Blaine's the tiniest bit as he spoke.

Blaine managed to nod weakly. "All right."

Kurt put his hand on the back of Blaine's neck and pulled him into a kiss so full of passion that it made Blaine's hair stand on end. Very carefully, he moved his hand down Kurt's body and slipped it between his legs. Kurt moaned softly into Blaine's mouth when Blaine pressed one of his fingers lightly against Kurt's entrance.

"You all right?" Blaine checked, breaking the kiss just slightly. He had never done this himself, but he'd heard about it being done, and it sounded like it would hurt like hell. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Kurt any more pain than necessary, so he thought it would be a good idea to check in momentarily just to make sure he wasn't doing so.

Kurt nodded. "_In_," was all he said.

Very slowly, Blaine slipped his first finger into Kurt. He knew the feeling had to be rather strange, because Kurt abruptly stopped breathing.

He stroked Kurt's cheek with the fingers of his free hand. "Kurt, love, I need you to relax and let me in. It'll be a lot more comfortable for both of us. Just breathe."

Kurt inhaled a shaky breath and slowly relaxed his muscles. "It's a little odd because I'm not used to it just yet," he admitted, "but having part of you inside me feels _amazing_. Can you put another one in?"

Blaine knew Kurt wouldn't have asked for another finger if he didn't feel ready, so he was more than happy to add another. Once Kurt got used to those two, he added a third, doing his absolute best to be slow and gentle. Kurt was being incredibly pliant and patient for him, even though Blaine knew it was a weird feeling and probably a little uncomfortable, too. When Kurt was as stretched out as he was going to get, Blaine slowly removed his fingers and settled his entire body between Kurt's legs.

"Still good?" he asked, brushing Kurt's bangs off of his sweaty forehead and placing a tender kiss on the skin there.

Kurt nodded. "Never better," he said. "Just _please_, Blaine. I _need _to feel you inside me."

He wrapped his legs around Blaine's waist and pulled him closer. "I'm ready," he whispered.

Blaine took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He couldn't believe that this was real, this was happening, he was going to become forever one with the most beautiful boy he'd ever had the privilege of knowing. He kissed Kurt's lips briefly but passionately one more time and pulled away only a fraction of an inch so that he could speak.

"I love you, Kurt, and I never want you to forget it," he swore in a low whisper. "I want you to feel my love in every cell in your body, every fiber of your being. I want you to always remember that I love you and that this moment right here is me expressing my love in the most special way I know."

"I love you too, Blaine," Kurt said softly, "and don't _you _forget it, either."

They held their gaze for a few seconds longer, then Blaine's hand found Kurt's and they laced their fingers together. Kurt drew in a deep breath and let his eyes flutter closed for a second as Blaine began to enter him with the most meticulous carefulness.

"Be honest with me," Blaine said gently once he was about halfway inside. "Does it hurt?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't, but it's the most wonderful kind of pain, Blaine…please don't stop. _Please_."

Blaine complied and finished pushing himself all the way inside. When he was as deep inside as he would go, he stopped moving for a moment and just _looked _at Kurt.

Kurt looked back at him with tears shining in his marvelous eyes. For a fleeting second, Blaine thought they were tears of pain and almost made the move to pull out, but then he looked at him a moment longer. Kurt could express more emotion with his eyes than most people could with their entire face, and what Blaine saw in his eyes could only be described as pure, unadulterated, blissful love.

All of this was topped off by the lovely smile that graced Kurt's lips. Blaine returned his smile and spoke in the softest of whispers.

"Forever one, now," he breathed. There were tears suddenly forming in his own eyes as well, he noticed. It might have had something to do with the fact that Kurt's face brightened even more at his words.

He started to pull out so he could thrust back in, but Kurt stopped him with a gentle touch on the hip. "Wait," he said softly. "Still getting used to…"

"It's okay," Blaine told him, nodding understandingly. "Just let me know when you're ready."

He was content to look into Kurt's eyes for a second, studying Kurt's face as he got used to the sensation. He wondered if Kurt would ever see himself for how beautiful he truly was.

After what very well may have been a perfect eternity, Kurt spoke. "All right," he whispered.

Still making his movements as slow and deliberate as possible, Blaine pulled most of the way out of Kurt before pushing back in with a gentle thrust. Kurt's eyes fell closed and he moaned deeply after the second or third thrust; Blaine immediately assumed he'd hit a spot that drove Kurt absolutely wild. He kept going, still moving slowly to avoid hurting Kurt, aiming for that same spot that drove that delicious moan from his lips.

"Yes, Blaine, _there_. Oh…oh _god, yes_," Kurt babbled, rolling his hips up to meet Blaine's. At this point, Blaine thought it might be safe to start moving a little faster, now that Kurt seemed to be getting accustomed to how this felt. He quickened his pace a little bit, still keeping a steady rhythm, and his lips captured Kurt's in a heated kiss so their mouths could mimic the movements of the lower halves of their bodies.

Somehow, he knew when Kurt was close. It may have been the way Kurt's breathing suddenly became heavier as he tried to catch his breath; then again, maybe it was the way Kurt suddenly seemed to forget everything except Blaine's name.

"Blaine. Blaine. _Blaine_…!"

Blaine managed to catch a glimpse of what Kurt looked like all strung out as he climaxed, and it was _beautiful. _But he clenched his muscles around Blaine as he came, and suddenly that was too much. Blaine had felt the heat of the moment coiling in the pit of his stomach with each and every thrust, and that set him over the edge. He came inside Kurt with a deep moan of the other boy's name that melted into Kurt's scream. When he came down from his high and collapsed onto Kurt's chest, he wondered for a delirious moment if the entire ship had been able to hear them.

He hoped they had. He was in love with Kurt Hummel, and he wanted everyone to know it, narrow-mindedness be damned.


End file.
